Improvement in casks for preserving beer



U. HEQGEM; Basks for Prervihg Been.

Patented March 10. 18 74.

In V827 for UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OLE HEGGEM, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN'CASKS FOR PRESERVlNGiBEER.

Specification forming partof Letters Patent No. 148,297, dated March 10, 1874; application filed December 22, 1873.

To all whomit may concern:

Be it known that I, OLE-HEGGEM, of Chicago, Illinois, have invented certain Improvements in Hermetically-SealedVessels, of which the following is a specification: I

The nature of my invention will be apparent from the following description and the claims appended thereto.

In the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of this specification, is represented a vertical central section of a beer-cask fitted with my improvement.

In said drawing, A represents the sides or staves of the cask, and B the bottom head. 0 is the bung, and D the aperture for the spigot, all of the usual construction. The upper head E, which is provided with the venthole 0, I make with beveled edges, to fit a beveled rabbet in the staves, so that it may be easily removed and replaced, and secured in place by screws f. G,.is an expansible rubber bag, which, when extended, will fill the entire interior of the cask, as indicated by the dotted lines. It is, however, shown in thedrawing folded up close' against the head of the cask, in the position it will occupy when the caskis full of beer. The edges of the mouth of this bag are inserted between the head E and its bearingsurface upon the beveled rabbet, which serves to retain the bag in position, and serves also as a packing forsaid head. The vent-aperture is guarded upon both sides of the head E by a covering-plate, i, and grooves o are cut in the material of the head, extending from the vent under the plates, each side to the open, so that air may pass freely through the vent, while it is guarded from dirt by the plates.

When beer is withdrawn from the cask, air enters the bag through the aperture 0 to supply the vacuum, expanding the bag gradually as the beer is withdrawn, until finally, when the beer has been all withdrawn, the bag fills' the entire cask. When the cask is refilled through the bung with beer, the air is pressed out of the bag through the vent, and the bag collapses or folds up, occupying only a small space.

The advantage of making the air-vent aperture in the head, in the manner shown, with grooves 0 and plates 1 is to prevent the collapsible bag from closing said aperture when the cask is being filled with liquor by folding over upon it. If I were to make a simple'hole or stop-cock at this point, the bag, in collaps ing during the filling of the cask, might fold down upon it and close it up, and thus prevent the escape of all of the air, and consequently prevent the entire filling of the cask.

The bag, being attached all the way around 'the head of the cask by the pressure of said head against the staves, is firmly held, and not likely to become torn loose in the rough usage to which beercasks are liable, and yet may be very readily removed by removing the head of the cask.

That which I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. The combination, with a beer-cask, of a collapsible bag, capable of filling the entire interior of said cask, and secured to the interior of the cask at its mouth, by means of the head of the cask being set in against the edges of said bag, lying between the edges of the head and the staves, said head being provided with an open vent, as specified.

2. In combination with the bag and cask, the head, provided with a vent-hole, guarded by the plates at each side, and having the grooves 0, as specified.

OLE HEGGEM.

Witnesses:

J OHN W. MUNDAY,

HEINRICH F. BRUNS. 

